The Canadian government should apologize and pay reparations to descendants of Black people who were slaves in Nova Scotia before Canada became a country, Black history experts told a Senate committee.

The co-founders and team at ByBlacks.com celebrated their fifth year in business in festivities that included past and present contributors, advertisers and dozens of people who have been featured over the years in the magazine.

By day, Gordon Shadrach is a Grade 2 teacher at Kew Beach Junior Public School in Toronto's east-end, but by night, he's a painter whose work is now being featured in the Royal Ontario Museum's newest exhibition — something he says is "beyond my wildest dreams."